Someone New
by hermajestytin
Summary: This is a story of how he always brings a new girl back to his apartment every night, and how one time he decided he just want her.


**A/N: **This started off as a 'stream of consciousness' kind of thing to let any other thoughts that might distract me while writing a paper for school go and then "Someone New" by Hozier started playing and the next thing I knew viola this one-shot is made. So if it doesn't make sense and it somehow triggered a headache I apologize in advance.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters or the song that inspires me to write this story. But I wish I do. And the plot if resembles another story, I assure you it's purely coincidental.

****It's un-betaed so I'm the one to blame for all grammatical or typographical errors.**

_Love withevery stranger, the stranger the better_

He's always been _that_ guy. (Okay maybe he didn't start that way, but he is now, and for quiet some time now)

The one who sleeps with whomever. Whenever.

Of course there's the obligatory backstory, but it's same old, same old. He fell in love, _hard_ and the next thing he knows he's still in love, and she had move on to the next guy.

_The next rich guy._

But that is not the focus of this story, it focuses on how he always brings a new girl back to his apartment every night, and how one time he decided he just want _her._

Only _her._

Killian Jones.

It's no surprise that if you say that name out loud in a place, a head (or maybe a few) will instinctually jerk to the direction of the voice, mind assaulted with a certain memory, and a deep blush will cover the person's face.

Another response -usually from a guy, close friend, or family- could be a shrug or an eye roll.

The fact that he is the owner of the bar and the bartender is deemed unnecessary.

What's important is that he brings a different girl back to the apartment and the girl leaves the apartment satisfied.

Here is when Emma Swan walks in into the story.

Emma Swan. The quiet, stunning woman who would rather starve to death than trust _anyone_, and by '_anyone_' it means Killian. Most will think of her as a person who is hard to read, but not Killian. The moment she walks in his bar one look is all it takes for him to know how to read every part of her: the pain, betrayal, and the overwhelming sadness she tried to hide behind the strong woman she shows off.

He approached her like a bug attracted to the light. One look is all it takes for him to realize that it will not be good for his no-strings attached reputation but he approached her anyway, the stunning, interesting woman with green eyes and effervescent blonde hair sitting at the corner of the bar.

He walks to her direction; she immediately turns him down before he even reaches her. He likes the challenge, she surprisingly like the attention he was giving her. (It's not like she always get that from anyone, it rarely happen, it never happens.)

They're both enjoying the "_game_" they somehow started, until Neal walked in.

Until _fucking_ Neal walked in.

One extremely important fact for this story: 'She' is also Killian's neighbor/really really good friend's girlfriend.

_His friend, her boyfriend._

Oh well.

They both left the bar, he stayed, surprise himself for wallowing for a minute or two, and moved on to his next conquest. He moved on but that doesn't mean the green eyes have escaped his mind.

He never got those green eyes and blonde locks out if his mind!

He wants to see the blond hair again, he wants to stare at those green eyes again, and if he is being completely honest he's pretty sure he'll never stop wanting to see again and again and again.

Five nights and three women later (he does take nights off in-between his rendezvous), he still wakes up with the same green eyes and blonde hair plaguing his mind. He walks down the hall, look at the door of Neal's apartment waiting for the green-eyed beauty to walk out, preferably running to his arms and smiling.

But just like the idea of never getting over the stunning woman, the idea of her running to his arms is never going to happen. So he ends up wallowing again and that's when it hits him, _he doesn't even know her name!_ Between the banters and flirtatious innuendos they throw at each other that glorious night, he doesn't recall acquiring her name. It's no help that Neal referred to her as '_babe'_ when he first arrived, and just continued referring to her as '_babe'_ until they left.

_Babe._ He cringed. He was never a fan of that specific term of endearment.

He cringed some more, wallow to misery some more, and then he mentally kicked himself in the shin when he realizes what he was doing. He never mourned for a girl. (Okay maybe he did that one time before this story started) Especially to someone who is clearly not interested with him, and is dating his friend, and who only talked to him for five minutes.

_Pathetic_. That's what he is right now and it needs to stop. So he approached the woman in a too tight, too tiny piece of clothing who's been eyeing him for quite sometime now and promise her a night she will never forget.

And that's what he did. After a few more libation, he announces to his staff that's he's taking off for the night and no one was even surprise when he walks out with the woman in tow.

Days past. Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. The next thing he knows the more time he spent trying not to think of her, the more green eyes blonde hair assault his brain. Basic psychology. Go figure. He also notices that, he comes home more often alone now than with someone new that even his staffs, close friends, family and Neal notices.

He doesn't know where to categorize Neal anymore. He's doesn't want to categorize Neal as a really close friend anymore, not now that he's keeps of betraying him. Well it's not really betrayal per se, but for him having not so appropriate thoughts about someone's girlfriend is betrayal. Call him selfish, a bad person, a unworthy friend but for Killian he would rather pick the inappropriate thoughts than label Neal as a 'really close friend'.

Are they even close friends?

They invite each other to watch sports, drink beer, but do they really know each other? Not really. I mean it took for _her_ to walk in the bar for him to know that Neal is a relationship. For Pete's sake they asked about each other's life almost everyday in the hallway, how the topic of 'girlfriend' never once made an appearance is a mystery he'd rather not divulge into right now. They were nice to each other, and that is rare to Killian's life. Guess that's why he considers Neal as a really _close_ friend before. But now that he's given the idea much thought, Neal is just a 'friend' not a 'really close friend'.

Heck! He's also willing to categorize Neal as just acquaintance to even lessen the feeling of betraying someone, also so he won't have to stop thinking about her.

But he would not, because Neal is not just an acquaintance, he is one of the handful 'real friends' he actually trust, and Neal is the only connection he have of her. He's going to continuously become selfish by keeping Neal close and hopes to keep her sometime in the future _closer_.

Once again Killian came home alone, early and alone. He's embarrassing his three-months-ago-self but there's a nagging voice at the back of his brain that insisted he come home alone tonight.

Yes.

He's turning crazy.

_Nagging voice._ He scoffs when the elevator door open and he walked out to his floor. He must be really turning crazy because he didn't even notice _her_ until he heard the loud banging at the door and an exasperated "Neal!" that follows.

He knows that voice.

Three months of not hearing it has his brain somehow distorted it but **_he knows that voice._**

He turns to look at the direction of the voice. He turns to look at the blonde hair. He turns to see the curves of her body being hugged by a tight dress.

He turn and he sees her.

**_See only her. _**

He cleared his throat to get her attention, but really to make sure his voice wouldn't sound weird. He does have a sexy voice, he's been told a number of times.

"Excuse me?"

She turned and _oh god!_ He needs to clear his throat again.

"Are- are you looking for Neal? Because He won't be back until later tonight." No he's not lying to her, it's only 6:30 and Neal won't be back at least until around 10 or later. When do you think those "How's Life?" conversations are happening? In the morning?

"Oh." She looked back at the door her perfect eyebrows meeting at the middle.

"You look familiar? Have we met before?" _Good job Killian! She doesn't need to know that you dream about her at the middle of the night… or sometimes in the morning as well._

"I'm not—"

"At the bar!"

"What?"

"We met at the bar." He gave her a smile.

"Oh yeah, you're the guy who flirted with me."

Killian blinked and worst he _blushed._

He was trying for a nonchalant reply, but his egotistical self is ecstatic! She remembers him, she thinks of him. As the guy who flirted with her, but that's not important right now! **_She's thinking of him as well._**

He was about to throw a flirtatious innuendo to her direction when her sigh of pain distracted him and that's when he notices the stilettos. He loves them really, but Ruby is also his friend who complains constantly for him to know how infernal those shoes can be at times.

"Would you like to take a seat?"

"Where at the floor? In this dress?" irritation is visible in her voice. Yes! The infernal pair of shoe has done its job.

He points at his apartment, "I live just across the hall, you can crashed in the couch while you wait," he immediately saw the panic on her eyes and the prepared 'no' on her lips, _her pink probably-to-soft-lips_ when he added "We can keep the front door open if that will make you more comfortable!"

Does he sound desperate?

**_Because he's desperate._**

He watched as the panic was changed into something else. _Excitement?_

"Okay, but we leave the door open. Neal has already told me a few things about his across the hall neighbor."

Killian raised an eyebrow.

"So you've talked about me, and I don't even know your name."

She let out a scoff and matched his raised eyebrows.

"No, really _love_, I don't know your name."

**_Love,_** now that's what you call a lady with blonde hair, green eyes and too beautiful face not **_babe!_**

"Emma,"

"Em-ma!" He repeated. He lovse how it just roll out of his tongue, like he was born in this world to just say that name over and over and over again.

He wanted that name to be the first thing he says in the morning and last thing he murmurs at night.

"You didn't have to say it like that," she let out a giggle and he just died on the inside. "And what's yours?"

"Neal has talked about the _across-the-hall-neighbor_ but left out his name? I'm genuinely hurt." He touched the area of his chest where the beating of his heart is prominent to mock her, but really he's just making sure he really is still alive.

"He didn't mention that the _across-the-hall-neighbor_ is a drama queen." She smiled all to brightly for him.

"Killian," he held out the hand over his heart to her. "Killian Jones."

"Swan," she took his held out hand. "Emma Swan."

He felt it. She felt it. There's a bolt of energy and they both felt it, but both were good at hiding whatever it is they just felt.

They both held on to each other's hand quiet longer than a normal handshake. Neither wants to let go but they have to because **_Neal is his friend and Neal is her boyfriend. _**

He's the first one to let go and has somehow convinced himself that he saw sadness on her eyes.

He opened his front door, let her in and as promise leave the door open. He watches her look around, find the couch and let out a moan while removing her stilettos.

_Yes! He loves those shoes so much._

"Do you want anything to drink while waiting? Water? Beer?"

"Beer please, if you don't mind."

"Love, I wouldn't have offered you and just straight up give you water without asking if I do mind." He took out two bottles from the fridge, open almost every drawer in the kitchen to find the bottle opener to buy more time. He knows where the damn bottle opener is, but he's still isn't one hundred percent convince that _she_ is finally here, on his coach, talking to him.

He walked toward her cautiously, scared that if he take one wrong step she'll just disappear on thin air, he'll wake up from the nice dream, and wallow again. He reached the couch and she's still there sitting and _oh boy! _He wants the scene before him to be permanent in his life forever. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and hand her the beer bottle. Their fingers brushed and it took everything in him to pull his hand back, look away from her, and sit on a lazy boy across from her.

_But he wants to sit next to her._ Killian Jones is not a whiner but she's making it hard not to whine right now.

"So _Swan,"_ she raised the perfect eyebrows again. "What?" he asked.

"Swan? Really?"

"It's a pretty name suitable for pretty lady is it not?"

"You sound like all the teachers I hated from middle and high school."

"I see they must be all good looking."

She giggled and he let out a smile, a too rare_ genuine _smile. Their conversation flowed smoothly; it's full of banter, un-bashful flirting, and more giggles and genuine smiles. Two hours and a few more bottles of beer later he found that this is too much than he had ask for the last couple of months subsequent to meeting her. He just wanted to know her name, be around her and now he knows her name, he is around her, and she's become his friend.

But just like everything else in his life, now that he's gotten what he wanted from the very beginning and more, he wanted _more._

He knows she's a bail bond person. He told her he's a bartender but she already _knows_ that he owns the bar as well.

He knows she's an orphan. She knows that by _family_ he means his older brother and no one else.

They talked about anything except for one. Neal.

No one says it out loud but it somehow ended as taboo subject. No one wants to divulge at the idea that **_Neal is his friend and Neal is her boyfriend._** They end up sitting _really close_ at the same couch. He ends us reaching for her hand while breathing out '_Swan'_, she didn't pull away which she realize should have scared her, send her running away with the idea of never looking back, but she didn't, instead she moved closer to him being pulled by his too blue eyes.

"You're possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

"Neal told me you always come back to your apartment with someone new every night."

He notices the pain in her eyes and the pain on her voice. It gives him pain that he is the cause of that pain. He pulled her closer and waited for her to pull back away from him but when she didn't he whispered, "I don't want to do that anymore." He whispered because it scares him, that if he talked louder she's run, disappear and he'll wake up only to realize it's only just a dream. His twisted mind's way of hurting him as if he hadn't experience enough pain to last him a lifetime.

Her expression change to pain to questioning, watch his face, waited for him to show any signs of lying until she's fully convince he's telling the truth. She opens her mouth to say something only to close it again before uttering a word. So he took this as an opportunity to continue.

"Just tell me what you wanted me to do," he looked straight into his eyes and saw tears started to pool about to overflow and stream down her cheeks. "Tell me what you want and _I'll do it."_

She smiled.

He smiled.

But reality finally dropped the other shoe. Shattering everything they've established tonight, crushing whatever progress about their _relationship_ that they've somehow built is a short few hours.

_Neal is back_.

Neal notices the open door and called out for him… and her.

They let the moment pull the apart, pull them back to reality, and pull them _separately _back to Neal.

Emma was the first to acknowledge Neal. Neal apologizes to Emma and thanked Killian. Killian shrugged it off, says it's _good form_, and how he always like to things in good form. It all happened so fast; all of it is a blur. The last thing Killian knows is that Neal thanked him for the last time and pulled Emma back to his apartment. The last thing he remembered seeing is Emma's green sad-eyes before the hall, Neal's door and Neal himself were separating them.

And when everything started settling in and making sense that's when it hit him.

_He doesn't want to bring someone new back to his apartment anymore, he just wants her._


End file.
